Pick-up trucks are characterized by truck boxes in the rear that are used to carry cargo and may also be provided with accessories that provide specialized capabilities. One example of an accessory is a hydraulic lift gate that may be used to lift heavy objects into the pick-up truck box. Hydraulic lift gates and other types of accessories that are mounted at the rear end of the box or in the area where a tailgate is normally attached to the truck box. The truck box structure includes a pair of pillars that extend upwardly from the truck bed on opposite lateral sides of the tailgate. This pillar is normally referred to as the D-pillar.
Accessories such as hydraulic lift gates apply a rearward force to the D-pillar when a load is placed on the hydraulic lift gate. The D-pillar may be constructed as a hollow structure that has a front wall, a rear wall, an inner wall and an outer wall. The load applied to the D-pillar when the rearward force is transferred to the forward face of the D-pillars and may cause twisting or “match-boxing” of the D-pillar. Truck boxes constructed of steel may include a horizontal flange extending inwardly from the inner wall of the D-pillar that is welded to a rear cross member of the truck box.
Pick-up trucks are now being constructed with aluminum bodies including an aluminum truck bed and support structure. Aluminum truck bodies reduce the overall weight of the truck, enhancing fuel economy, increasing payload capacity and improving handling by lowering the center of gravity of the vehicle. Aluminum truck bodies are assembled with rivets, flow-drill screws and adhesives instead of resistance spot welds. Riveting tools require addition clearance for installing the rivets compared to prior art steel flanges that are welded to the rear cross member.
This disclosure is directed to the above problems and other problems as summarized below.